Lions visit Johnson Coliseum Thursday
11/5/2014 5:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The battle for position going into the next to last weekend of the Southland Conference volleyball season continues as Sam Houston plays host to Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Unbeaten Stephen F. Austin (13-0) owns a two match lead over the field, but the battles going on behind the Lumberjacks are tight.
Central Arkansas (10-2) holds down second place but the Bearkats are just one match behind (9-3).
A&M-Corpus Christi (9-4), who Sam Houston still must play on the road next week, holds down fourth position followed by Northwestern State (8-5), Houston Baptist (7-5), Southeastern Louisiana (6-6) and Nicholls (5-7).
The top eight finishers qualify for the annual Southland Conference tournament Friday through Sunday November 21-23 in Natchitoches, La.
The Lions bring a 9-15 record into Johnson Coliseum Thursday. Sophomore Parrie Hartley, a 5-10 outside hitter, leads Southeastern Louisiana's offense with 178 kills (2.09 per set).
Four-time Southland “Offensive Player of the Week” Deveney Wells-Gibson is the Bearkats' top offensive threat. The senior from San Antonio now has cracked the top 10 at Sam Houston with 3,904 kills during her career.
Wells-Gibson has totaled 463 kills in 96 sets for a 4.82 average. The single season Sam Houston best for average kills per set is 5.12 by Bonnie Beard in 1985.
Two-time league “Defensive Player of the Week” Claire Kilpatrick continues to collect digs, averaging 4.17 per set with a 409 season total.
Thursday's match is the fourth in a five-match home stand. Sam Houston will play host to New Orleans Saturday. The 2 p.m. match will be senior day with Wells-Gibson and fellow senior Krista Koopman being honored in special pregame ceremonies.
